England player ratings: England ended their Quilter Nations Series in style on Sunday, beating Argentina 27-23 at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium.
Following Argentina’s heroic comeback from 21-0 against Scotland last week, England would have been aware their 17-3 lead at the break was not insurmountable. And when the visitors narrowed the scoreline to 17-16, Steve Borthwick would have been worried. But his side did enough in the final quarter to end their autumn campaign unbeaten.
Borthwick made a number of changes for the visit from the Pumas from the team that triumphed over the All Blacks, four of which were forced through injury.
Regardless of the changes, England’s approach did not falter from what we have seen all November, with plenty of eye-catching displays again.
Here’s how the players rated:
Match Summary 
15. Freddie Steward – 6
Left isolated at one stage as his opponents swarmed over him and won a penalty – he would have wanted more support form his team-mates but perhaps not the best decision. Solid in the back field, initially, and chased kicks well, but did not offer a huge amount going forward.
14. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso – 8
The architect of England’s first try with his kick chase, forcing Bautista Delguy to fumble, and was scoring himself soon after, timing his run to latch onto a cross-kick to perfection. Looked at his powerful best, swatting tacklers away and being millimetres away from bursting through the Argentinian defence on many occasions. Faded out of the game as the Pumas grew in strength.
13. Henry Slade – 8
Making his first appearance of the autumn, Slade was quietly efficient in attack, and grew into the game, scoring the pivotal second-half try to steady the ship. Despite forming yet another England midfield partnership, there was no lack in cohesion and fluidity with Max Ojomoh. Teamed up with Feyi-Waboso for a shuddering hit five metres from England’s line in a standout moment in the first half but he did fly out the line to let Juan Martin Gonzalez through in the build-up to Argentina’s first try.
12. Max Ojomoh – 9
Making his first appearance of the autumn, and second overall after his debut against the USA in the summer, Ojomoh was handed a gift of a first try for his country when pouncing on a fumbled Argentine catch. His assist 15 minutes later for Feyi-Waboso, on the other hand, was far from easy, executing a pinpoint cross-kick when England had lost momentum. Played with the confidence he has shown this season with Bath and posed every conceivable threat to the Argentine defence, setting up Slade’s try with his offload from the floor when England so desperately needed points. A fantastic Twickenham debut.
11. Elliot Daly – 5.5
Looked like he was playing his first match in months, in all honesty. Did not pose the threat Tom Roebuck does in his kick chase, and wasn’t wholly secure under the high ball when receiving kicks. Elsewhere, he saw very little ball but was reliable enough in defence.
10. George Ford – 7
Continued with his drop-kicking tactic to open the scoring for England, but was probably put under the most pressure all autumn, being charged down behind his line at one point, and getting the length wrong on his bombs a couple of times. The Pumas targeted his channel in attack, and there was often too much space on either side of him, but he didn’t shirk a tackle. Not perfect from the tee, but knocked over some all-important kicks in the second half.
9. Ben Spencer – 7
Ran the show in the first half and could do no wrong with his kicking, but that waned slightly as England lost control of the match. Was substituted on the hour mark with England appearing in trouble.
1. Ellis Genge – 6.5
A tit-for-tat battle in the scrum with Pedro Delgado, with the Puma winning one penalty and the Bristol Bear winning one himself. Linked well with the backs in the loose in his 50 minutes on the field.
2. Luke Cowan-Dickie – 7.5
A performance full of panache, which is not necessarily a hallmark of Cowan-Dickie’s game. Be it a fizzed left-handed pass to the wing, or a clever link-up with Sam Underhill at a lineout, the hooker embodied England’s growing confidence. Spilt the ball over the line after wrestling out of the clutches of Marcos Kremer, which is worthy of a try in itself. Not perfect in the lineout, but not an area of weakness at all.
3. Asher Opoku-Fordjour – 7
Held his scrummaging counterpart Thomas Gallo up over the line in a marvellous show of strength, and put that strength to show when he won an advantage at the scrum from which England scored their second try. Wasn’t completely dominant in the scrum, however.
4. Maro Itoje -8.5
Really troubled the Pumas’ lineout, and if he wasn’t stealing the ball, he did the next best thing, which is to force Julian Montoya to not throw straight. A daft offside penalty from a kick-chase aside, the England captain was at his oppressive best defensively, going over 20 tackles (22) yet again this series.
5. Alex Coles – 8
What an engine. Does not tire, and Borthwick needed him on for 80 minutes. It was his break on 65 minutes that gave England the momentum to go on and score their first points of the second half. A late yellow card did tarnish his performance, only slightly though.
6. Guy Pepper – 7
Nothing epitomised Pepper’s attitude and work ethic than sending Juan Cruz Mallia flying backwards, before getting back to his feet to execute a chop tackle the very next phase. Relentless in all areas, and complements Underhill and Ben Earl nicely. Pinged for not releasing the tackler in his own 22 when England were on the ropes early in the second half, though the call could have gone either way. That was his last action before being substituted on 50 minutes.
7. Sam Underhill – 8
A match-leading 13 tackles when he left the field on 50 minutes only tells half the story, as these tackles were frequently well behind the gainline and shots that stopped carriers dead in their tracks. Only enhanced his reputation as one of the best tacklers in the game.
8. Ben Earl – 8
Kept the quietest he has been all November in attack, but when he can contribute in the way he does elsewhere, that does not matter at all. Troublesome at the breakdown, winning a penalty which gave England the chance to extend their lead in the first half, and made a match-leading 23 tackles.
Points Flow Chart
England win +4
Time in lead
5%
Possession Last 10 min
95%
Replacements
16. Theo Dan – N/A
Only given a handful of minutes at the end.
17. Fin Baxter – 7.5
Part of a strong scrummaging effort on halfway, and gets through so much work, be it on the bench or starting, and racked up 14 tackles in his cameo from the bench.
18. Will Stuart – 7.5
Stood up and delivered with a scrum penalty when England looked out of sorts. That was a real momentum shift in the match. Made some robust carries on top.
19. Charlie Ewels – 7.5
Huge challenge in the lineout when Argentina looked in a position to steal victory at the death.
20. Tom Curry – 7.5
Came on when England were flagging a bit, and really helped England pick up their act. Nothing standout, but was always in and around the action, putting in 13 tackles in 30 minutes.
21. Henry Pollock – 8
Brought the head and energy alongside Curry, but was perhaps over-eager, handing the Pumas three points when England looked ragged. Won his own penalty over the ball as England were taking control of the match again. A total of 16 tackles in 30 minutes is staggering.
22. Alex Mitchell – 7
Came on for the final 20 minutes with England only leading by one point and haemorrhaging penalties, and whether it was his influence or not, they grabbed control of the match again.
23. Marcus Smith – N/A